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Play Cliffhanger (US edition · English) Online
Cliffhanger
Play Cliffhanger online on NES, guide Gabe through icy mountain stages, run and leap across hazards, and defeat Qualen's men with punches and kicks.
Browser play

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) / Famicom — EmulatorJS controls
Default Player 1 keyboard mapping. Change keys in Controller Settings.
| Console button | Keyboard |
|---|---|
| ↑ / ↓ / ← / → | ↑ / ↓ / ← / → |
| A / B | Z / X |
| START / SELECT | Enter / V |
Open Controller Settings to configure your keyboard or gamepad. Touch controls are available on mobile.
How to Play Cliffhanger
Quick start
Press START and practise walking, running and the longer running leap before the first difficult gap. Approach enemies one at a time, use B punches at close range and Up+B when a kick's reach is safer. Crouch under suitable threats with Down and avoid entering a new screen while an attacker remains behind Gabe. For wide gaps, hold diagonal Up toward the direction of travel to run, then press A only after building speed.
Controls
Left/Right walks; diagonal Up+Left or Up+Right runs; Down crouches. A jumps, and A while running performs a flying leap. B punches. Up+B kicks. START begins, pauses and resumes, and also continues from the Continue screen after all lives are lost. The NES manual does not assign a normal gameplay action to SELECT.
Cliffhanger — About this game
Cliffhanger for NES adapts the 1993 film as a side-scrolling action game starring rescue climber Gabe Walker. Gabe crosses icy mountain paths and enemy-held areas while fighting Qualen's men, avoiding environmental hazards and recovering dropped money. Movement is more deliberate than a standard platformer: diagonal Up input starts a run, a running jump becomes a longer flying leap, and combat separates a basic punch from an Up-plus-B kick. Enemies can surround Gabe, so advancing a screen at a time and controlling their approach is safer than rushing. START also serves the continue screen after all lives are lost, allowing another attempt from the game's offered checkpoint structure.
Cheats
No cheats have been added for this edition.
Player verification and sources
Browser play was reviewed before this edition was published in the catalogue. The date below is the catalogue publication date, not the game’s original release date.
- Browser test and catalogue publication date
- Browsers and devices
- PC: Chrome, Edge and Firefox. Mobile: Chrome on Android and Safari on iPhone and iPad.
- Player engine and core
- EmulatorJS 4.3.0-pre · nes
- Tested by
- rwEmulator
Sources and editorial basis
rwEmulator reviews edition metadata, release information, game manuals and first-hand browser-play notes. Available manuals are linked below; the editorial policy explains how facts are checked and corrections are handled.